County resource guide
Autism Resources in Pennington County, South Dakota
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Pennington County. South Dakota statewide resources also apply.
Pennington County (Rapid City) is home to the Black Hills region's largest city. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital provides evaluation services. Rapid City Area Schools provides special education with autism-specific programs. South Dakota Parent Connection (SD PTI) provides free statewide IEP advocacy. Families seeking the most specialized evaluations sometimes travel to Sioux Falls. SD's Birth to 3 program serves young children.
Provider directory
Local Providers20 providers in Pennington County
About our listings
Provider listings on Autism Parent Club are submitted by practices or researched from public sources. All listings are reviewed for accuracy before publication. To suggest a correction, use the “Suggest a correction” link below.
Diagnostic clinics
Formal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.
Rapid City · multi-county
Monument Health — Pediatric Autism Evaluation
Custer · multi-county
Monument Health Custer Hospital — Developmental Referrals
Monument Health Custer Hospital provides primary care and developmental referrals for Custer County families. Rapid City (~50 miles) is the primary hub for autism evaluations in the southern Black Hills.
Hot Springs · multi-county
Monument Health Hot Springs — Developmental Referrals
Monument Health Hot Springs Hospital serves Fall River County and provides developmental referrals for autism evaluations to Rapid City (~55 miles), the Black Hills regional hub.
VA Black Hills Health Care System is also nearby — serves veteran families with autism-related needs.
Philip · multi-county
Monument Health Rapid City — Developmental Referrals (Haakon County)
Haakon County families in Philip access developmental and autism evaluation services through Monument Health Rapid City (~90 miles west) or Sanford Pierre (~75 miles east). Philip is a very small town in one of SD's most sparsely populated counties.
Philip is equidistant between Rapid City and Pierre — telehealth is critical for most specialty services.
Kadoka · multi-county
Monument Health Rapid City — Developmental Referrals (Jackson County)
Jackson County families in Kadoka access developmental and autism evaluation services through Monument Health Rapid City (~100 miles west) or Sanford Pierre (~100 miles northeast). Jackson County is one of SD's most isolated counties.
Kadoka is ~2 hours from both major SD medical hubs. Telehealth is essential.
Sturgis · multi-county
Monument Health Sturgis Hospital — Developmental Referrals
Monument Health Sturgis Hospital provides pediatric primary care and developmental referrals for Meade County families. For comprehensive autism evaluations, families are referred to Monument Health Rapid City Hospital, the regional hub in the Black Hills.
Rapid City (~30 min) is the primary hub for full autism evaluations in the Black Hills region.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Rapid City · multi-county
SD Birth to 3 — Pennington County
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Spearfish · multi-county
Behavioral Health Services SD — Black Hills Region
ABA services for Lawrence County families through the Black Hills region network. Clinicians split time between Spearfish and Rapid City; in-home delivery available for rural clients.
SD Medicaid covers ABA. Commercial insurance ABA mandate also applies.
Sioux Falls · multi-county
Carelinks ABA — Sioux Falls
In-home ABA therapy for children ages 2–21 in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Aberdeen, Brookings, and throughout South Dakota.
Source: https://www.carelinksaba.com/south-dakota
Custer · multi-county
Centria Autism — Telehealth ABA (Custer County)
Telehealth ABA therapy for Custer County families in the southern Black Hills. BCBA-supervised parent training and behavior support. SD Medicaid accepted. Rapid City in-person ABA is ~50 min away.
SD Medicaid covers ABA therapy. Home to Custer State Park — tourist economy with rural year-round residents.
Sturgis · multi-county
Centria Autism — Telehealth ABA (Meade County)
Telehealth ABA therapy for Meade County families, including military families stationed at Ellsworth AFB. BCBA-supervised parent training and behavior support. SD Medicaid and TRICARE accepted.
TRICARE covers ABA therapy for military dependents. SD Medicaid also accepted for eligible children.
Sioux Falls · multi-county
LifeScape — Sioux Falls Autism Services
ABA therapy program for children up to 18 with autism in Sioux Falls. Tailored intervention in clinic, home, or combined settings. Also serves Rapid City.
Source: https://www.lifescapesd.org/outpatient-therapy-behavioral-health/autism-services/
Speech therapy
Speech-language pathology, AAC, pragmatic language, and feeding.
Rapid City · multi-county
Children's Therapy Associates — Speech Rapid City
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Rapid City · multi-county
Autism Society of South Dakota — Rapid City Chapter
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Sioux Falls · multi-county
South Dakota Parent Connection
South Dakota's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Free IEP advocacy, training, and one-on-one support for SD families. An especially critical resource in a rural state with limited specialized providers.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Essential in South Dakota's rural service landscape.
Sturgis · multi-county
South Dakota Parent Connection
South Dakota's federally funded PTI offers free IEP advocacy, training, and one-on-one support for Meade County families navigating special education in the Black Hills area.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Essential before any IEP meeting or school dispute in SD.
Custer · multi-county
South Dakota Parent Connection
Free IEP advocacy and one-on-one support from SD's federally funded PTI for Custer County families. SDPC provides statewide phone and remote support for families in the southern Black Hills.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
Hot Springs · multi-county
South Dakota Parent Connection
Free IEP advocacy and one-on-one support from SD's federally funded PTI for Fall River County families. SDPC provides statewide phone and remote support for families in the southern Black Hills.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
Spearfish · multi-county
South Dakota Parent Connection — Black Hills Outreach
SDPC IEP advocacy and parent training for Lawrence County. Deadwood-area and Spearfish families can access phone and in-person support through SDPC's Black Hills outreach.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
For providers
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School districts & government services
Public programs and school district contacts for Pennington County.
School & special education
- Rapid City Area School District — Special Education
Rapid City is the county seat of Pennington County. Visit district homepage and navigate to Special Education.
Services & benefits
- South Dakota DHS — Pennington County DD Services
Contact SD DHS Division of Developmental Disabilities for Pennington County waiver enrollment.
Adult services
- South Dakota DHS — Pennington County DD Services
Contact SD DHS Division of Developmental Disabilities for Pennington County waiver enrollment.
Respite & support
- South Dakota DHS — Pennington County DD Services
Contact SD DHS Division of Developmental Disabilities for Pennington County waiver enrollment.
Helpful guides
Guides for Pennington County families
Step-by-step help on the topics that matter most.
School & IEP
Navigating the IEP process
Your rights under IDEA, how evaluations work, and what every IEP section means.
Finding help
ABA, OT, speech and waitlists
How to find qualified providers, navigate insurance, and get off waitlists faster.
Getting started
Where to start after diagnosis
A week-by-week checklist for the first 90 days — from evaluation to early intervention.
Benefits & money
SSI, Medicaid waivers, ABLE accounts
Federal benefits your child may qualify for and how to apply without losing your spot.
Mental health
Co-occurring conditions and support
Managing anxiety, ADHD, and depression alongside an autism diagnosis.
Daily life
Sensory processing and OT
Understanding sensory needs, sensory diets, and how occupational therapy helps.
Adulthood
Employment, housing, legal planning
Supported employment, housing options, guardianship alternatives, and ABLE accounts.
Communities served
Cities in Pennington County
Serving families across Pennington County including Rapid City, Box Elder, Ellsworth AFB, Summerset, New Underwood, Wall, Quinn, Interior, Wasta and Caputa and more.
See all South Dakota resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in South Dakota.
South Dakota state guide →Nearby counties in South Dakota
See something that needs fixing?
Providers move, phone numbers change, and links break — it happens. If anything on this page is out of date, wrong, or no longer working, please tell us and we’ll fix it. Keeping this accurate for autism families is the whole reason we’re here.
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